


blessed be the boys (time can't capture)

by oats_and_hay



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: First Meetings, Fluff, Good Parents Maggie & Wentworth Tozier, Homophobia, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Period-Typical Homophobia, au where eddie was homeschooled and the losers club didn't form until later, for bev and eds sucky parents, its the 80s what did you expect, probably really inaccurate, so nO NAUGHTY BUSINESS, they're all in grade eight, title from the kids aren't alright by fall out boy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-16
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-12-17 07:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21050435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oats_and_hay/pseuds/oats_and_hay
Summary: Eddie Kaspbrak was a loser. He had asthma, was short (though he wouldn't admit), and friendless. He didn't go to real school, and he hardly spoke to anyone other than his mom. He was the perfect example of a loser.When Eddie meets Richie Tozier, it was during the worst day of his life.or, in which eddie was homeschooled.





	blessed be the boys (time can't capture)

Eddie met him the day he got his first broken bone.

Henry Bowers and his gang of high school bullies had been terrorizing him, as usual. He had been walking downtown, from his house to Mr. Keene's store. They ambushed him as soon as he left the pharmacy with his baggie of prescription pills in hand. They had stolen all his meds, and chased him into the deep parts of the woods.

He had slid, tripped and hurried his way further into the trees. Eddie heard Bower's voice calling out behind him, taunting and goading him to come out.

"C'mon, don't be a fucking pussy!" Eddie had run like hell, momentarily forgetting his asthma. He hadn't dared to stop for a breath, scared that the boys would catch up if he stalled for even a moment. 

Eddie hadn't seen the edge of the cliff approaching until it was too late. 

He had tumbled several feet down with nothing but leaves and rocks to break his fall. Eddie's world had spun sideways. His thoughts were mush as he barrelled towards the ground. 

_Was he going to die?_

_His mother- Who would take care of her?_

_Everything hurts- Make it stop- God, make it all stop-_

Then nothing.

Eddie woke to loud cawing. Circling him, were curious blackbirds looking for a meal, pecking and prodding at his clothes. Or were they crows? Eddie didn't know, and didn't care. All he felt was the agonizing pain in his arm. 

"_Fuck!_" He exclaimed. The sudden noise startled the pesky birds into fleeing. "Holy fuck, Jesus _motherfucking_ Christ- _shit_." Eddie's arm was definitely broken. It felt awful, like someone had pressed a burning iron onto his elbow. Tears came flooding every time he moved it. His elbow was _broken_.

His mom was going to kill him. Eddie scrambled to check his watch, cursing when he saw the dim blocky numbers. _7:12 pm._

He must've been knocked out cold and probably had a mild concussion, too. Trees were dancing in his vision. Not a very good sign, considering his current situation.

Eddie's head throbbed violently as he tried to recount the basic first aid for a fractured joint. He did his best not to look at the wound directly, worried that he might pass out again if he did.

What was it he was supposed to do first? Eddie went through the steps he'd been taught years ago, biting his bottom lip to keep from swearing any more. 

He'd have to apply a coolant to the wound, something to soothe the pain. Eddie desperately surveyed the forest around him, hoping to spot an aloe vera plant somewhere close by. He twisted his neck and torso around, trying to find the plant without moving his left arm too much. 

All there was to see was tall grass littered with fallen leaves, and dark wood made darker by the setting sun. Eddie deliberated rummaging through the grass, then deciding better of it. He still had his allergies to worry about. He faintly registered the soft beeping coming from his wrist.

In his head, he heard his mother's voice. 

_It's time for your medication, Eddie. You have to take them, they're helping you get better_. 

_You want to get better, don't you, Eddie?_

He didn't have his medicine, and there was no aloe vera. 

He was alone here.

In the middle of the woods, behind the kissing bridge, with his arm broken and a fucking concussion.

Eddie's lungs suddenly felt as small as fists. Pitiful sobs racked his body, causing his arm to shift even more. Eddie nearly reached for his inhaler before remembering how Henry had tossed it into the river, along with the rest of his belongings hours earlier.

Eddie cried out for help, holding on to a hope that someone could hear him. Minutes of yelling eventually turned his desperation into anger. Anger at himself, anger at Henry Bowers, at the stupid cliff he fell off of. He screamed at the trees, at the rocks, at the sky. The rage made his face flush like a ripe tomato.

His first instinct was to cry, but no more tears came. Eddie let out more of his frustration, until his throat felt like caving in.

He wasn't going to die here. Not if he can fucking help it.

Birds flew high above him, disappearing into tiny brown specks dotting the Derry skyline. This town was all he'd known, the only place he ever lived in. Eddie hated Derry, and everything in it. Eddie was going to leave this shit hole, and no one was going to fucking stop him. Not his mother, not the bullshit childhood he spent here, and _definitely_ not this fucking forest.

Eddie swallowed his pain, and tried to stand up. He got to his feet with maximum effort, not bothering to dust himself off. Eddie mentally congratulated himself on his achievement, when he heard rustling in the foliage beside him. In the shadow of the trees and the setting sun, a figure loomed only metres away from where Eddie lay. Eddie's heart quickened in his chest. The blood drained from his cheeks as the sound grew louder and closer. He squeezed his eyes shut, preparing to get mauled by a bear, or a wolf. Or worse, Henry Bowers. 

The footsteps stopped.

__

"Jesus, dude. What the _fuck_ happened to you?"

__

Eddie didn't recognize the boy in front of him. He wasn't sure if that was good or not. A pathetic noise escaped from his mouth, something in between a whine and a cough.

__

"Oh fuck, here let me help you." The stranger held out an arm to steady Eddie's unbalanced footing. Pain spiked in Eddie's elbow, reminding him of its presence.

__

"Shit, that looks really bad. Let's get you somewhere safe," said the boy. "C'mon, I know a place that's near here. Can you walk?" Eddie could only nod his head, exhausted from the worst day ever. True to his word, they didn't venture too far before they reached a small fort. Calling it a building would make Eddie a liar, it was more like a glorified stack of wood than any fort he's seen. A homemade sign teetered precariously from where it was placed on the roof.

__

"Nu-uh, no-fucking-way I'm going in there," Eddie said hoarsely.

__

"Why not?" The sign toppled over, landing inelegantly on the ground. "I promise it's not as bad as it looks?" The boy awkwardly tried.

__

"I barely- huff- I barely know you! You could secretly be a serial killer, or something!" Eddie argued.

__

The boy only laughed. "Me? With these noodle arms? Yeah, sure. Whatever, just get in." He led Eddie through the entrance and to the main room. The _only_ room. What the shack lacked in space, it certainly made up for with homeliness. Comics and empty cartons of Froot Loops were strewn on the floor. A sofa was situated between a crate advertising grape juice and a bedroom side table. Eddie sat down on the love seat, careful not to touch any of the spots with springs sticking out. He vaguely wondered how many diseases he could contract from sitting on _that_ alone.

__

As soon as his back hit the worn cushion, Eddie felt all of the anger and frustration from that afternoon vanish. Gone was the ire that flushed his skin, happily replaced by cool relief.

__

"Hold on, I'll go get you an ice pack for that." The boy ran to a mini fridge attached to the wall and scrutinized its contents. "Aha! Here, I don't have any ice, but hopefully this can fit the bill." He chucked a plastic water bottle at Eddie, who winced as it landed on his lap. "Oh- shit. Sorry about that." The stranger rubbed the back of his neck as Eddie carefully pressed the icy cylinder to his elbow.

__

Up close, and without the danger of the woods eating him present, Eddie could properly see the glasses and wavy locks the boy sported. How Eddie didn't notice the glasses earlier, he didn't know. They were gigantic.

__

"What's your name?" Eddie all but croaked out.

__

"Richard Mortimer Tozier the 4th, at your service," The boy, Richard said.

__

"Uh, hey Richard, do you think you could go and get me a scarf, or a bandanna?" Richard was visibly confused.

__

"Why? You gonna play dress-up while your arm's messed as shit?"

__

"What? No- no, I need it to make a sling for my arm. It sounds weird, but it's really important, so hurry," Eddie explained, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice.

__

"Yes, _your Highness_. Your finest servant shall hop to it!" Richard bowed sarcastically, and left with a flourish. Eddie fought off the urge to groan.

__

While Richard went to retrieve the makeshift sling, Eddie opted to observe the room he was in. There were framed photographs of the same three kids lining the wall in front of him. A skinny boy wearing thick-framed glasses was in most of them, clearly Richard. A small shelf holding several issues of The Incredible Hulk was nestled against the corner. Eddie recognized the series, the Hulk having been his favourite when he was younger. He dimly recalled reading it with another boy, back in kindergarten.

__

He turned his gaze back towards his arm. The pain in his elbow had eventually lessened to a numb sting, thanks to Richard's water bottle. Eddie unscrewed the cap and took a refreshingly long drink. Nothing felt better than when the cold liquid hit his parched tongue, and flowed down his scratchy throat. After a short minute, Richard returned with a thin, mahogany scarf. He handed it to Eddie, gently this time.

__

"Thanks, Richard." He offered a weak smile.

__

"Nah, none of the _Richard_ business, call me Richie." Eddie nodded. Richie, huh? It suited him, much more than Richard, anyways.

__

Eddie lifted his arm and placed one end of the cloth over his right shoulder. Then, without touching the sensitive area too much, he arranged it so the scarf supported his forearm from below. The other end went around the nape of his neck, meeting in a rudimentary sling. He began the difficult process of tying it off, one-handedly tugging at the scarf.

__

"Ouch," Eddie flinched, "A little help here?" He pointed at the unsuccessful knot. Richie nodded, and reached behind Eddie.

__

"Hold on- wait, I think I got it," With a soft pull to make sure it was tight enough, Richie let go. "Damn, Boy Scouts better recruit me soon, 'cause I just tied the hell out of that knot," he said, grinning widely. "Hey, I don't think I ever got your name?"

__

"My name's Eddie, Eddie Kaspbrak."

__

"Eddie, huh? Can I call you Eds?" There was a twinkle in Richie's eye.

__

"Uh, people just usually call me Eddie." He left out the part where no one actually called him _anything_, since he rarely spoke to anyone other than his mother.

__

"Why not? I think Eds makes more sense," Richie said, "Ed's short and cute, like you."

__

Eddie sputtered, face flaming. He wasn't short. At least, not _that_ short. He was ready to say what was on his mind when he realized Richie was already moving on to the next topic.

__

"Do you go to Derry Public? 'cause I've lived in this town for- like, ever- and I've never seen you before." Derry was a small town, but it wasn't entirely impossible for them to have never met. Eddie's mom had always insisted for him to stay home on the weekends, and even though he would regularly disobey her, she still made sure he didn't go too far.

__

"No, I don't go to the middle school. My mom teaches me herself," Eddie twisted the cloth in between his fingers. He hated talking about himself, especially homeschool. It made him feel like an outsider, a weirdo for being babied by his mother all the time.

__

"Really? What's it like?" Richie sat down beside him, rocking the worn sofa slightly.

__

"Pretty- pretty normal. I was homeschooled, ever since my mom took me out of kindergarten. She said it was for my health."

__

"Health?"

__

"Yeah. I've got severe allergies, and I'm constantly sick, so she thought it was better for me to stay indoors," he admitted.

__

"What kind of allergies? Like- peanut butter?"

__

"Most of the stuff you see outside, hay, grass, bark. All of that I'm allergic to," he said, "and I also have really bad asthma."

__

"Jesus, man. If it's that serious, then what the hell were you doing rolling around in squirrel shit?" Richie took out a can of grape soda from the crate.

__

Eddie's brow furrowed and his mouth set into a grimace. "Henry Bowers. That bastard stole my fanny packs, and dumped everything down the river near the kissing bridge," He felt rage bubbling in his stomach just thinking about it. "What kind of person does that?"

"Fanny packs, as in _plural_?" Eddie glared at him. Richie quickly backpedaled, "Not important. Right. Yeah, Bowers' a real sick fuck. He treats everyone like shit. He and his asshole buddies always target me and my friends. I swear, the shit they think up just to mess with us. The only reason why he's not on his way to juvie right now, is because the adults don't give enough of a shit to report him. And his dad's a cop, that too."

Eddie had been thinking about that for a while. At first, he'd been so sure that his mom would flip out on Oscar Bowers for letting Henry lay a hand on Eddie. But the first incident happened months ago, and the recent ones aren't getting any better. Eddie looked up when he realized Richie was still talking. 

"You should join our support group. It's where victims of the Bowers gang come together and write angry poetry about Henry's hair," Richie said. 

"Wait- are you serious?" 

"Nope. I already told you, my name's Richie," he snickered. 

"Okay, that wasn't even funny, it was lazy and half-baked," Eddie knew he was being rude, insulting the person who practically saved him. But Richie's laughter only grew. 

"Wow, and here I was, about to ask if you wanted to hang out again," he said, mock incredulously, "and you dare defame me in my own home? My jokes are quality-tier dad humour, and I will not have you slander my reputation!" Eddie tried not to get hung up on the fact that Richie wanted to see him again.

Was this Eddie's chance to make a new friend?

...maybe not. Richie was kind of weird.

"One thing is true, though. The best part of summer is seeing less of that douche-y mullet." Eddie breathed out a small laugh. The two continued to chat and bicker, teasing each other relentlessly. Richie offered him a grape soda that Eddie eventually spilled on himself and the couch, when he was laughing too hard at Richie's Bowie impression. Richie showed Eddie his impressive collection of comic books and records. Many of them were 50s music, Elvis and Buddy Holly. Eddie definitely spotted a Wham album in there, though Richie was quick to hide it.

They were on their fourth sodas, when a high pitched beeping broke the comfortable chatter between them.

"Uh, is that coming from you?" Richie asked, sipping from his can. It was his watch. Eddie looked at the time, eyes straining to see in the dim cabin. _8:23_. 

Eddie was already an hour late to dinner, and his arm was still as fucked as it was when he first woke up.

"It's been really nice meeting you, Richie, but if I don't get going soon, my mom's going to bust my ass for staying out too late," he said, getting up from the couch, "Thanks for letting me stay here, even if it is a disease ridden cabin."

"Hey! Old Jessie may not be the sturdiest of them all, but that's part of 'er charm," said Richie.

"Yeah? Try telling that to a health inspector. They'll say this place has like, four airborne illnesses floating around," Eddie retorted.

"Really, just four? I was expecting the number to be closer to _nine_." Richie chuckled at his own joke, which was another reason why Eddie wasn't going to be friends with him.

"Here, it's kinda dark out, so we should take one of these," Richie reached into the drawer beside the couch, and pulled out two flashlights. One blue, the other yellow.

"You're coming with me?" Eddie said, surprise colouring his tone.

"I mean, yeah. You can't go out there on your own without some navigation," reasoned Richie, "And, no offense, but you look like one strong gust of wind away from collapsing."

Eddie couldn't get himself to be mad at the remark. He knew he looked like shit. He _felt_ like shit.

Eddie shook his head, "I can't take any more of your time. Don't you have other stuff to get to? Like, you know, your family?" Richie snorted.

"Nah, man. My plans of a simple, totally boy-free night have already been ruined. How could I possibly face my parents if they saw me now, bringing a boy I barely know over? Why, it'd be a scandal!" Richie exclaimed, slurring his words in what Eddie could only guess was a Southern Belle accent.

"You know, I was trying to be considerate," Eddie said dryly.

"And this is me also being considerate. Might as well walk you home, chivalry and all that shit," Richie handed him the yellow flashlight.

"Thanks Richie. You really are the best," Eddie said, only half joking.

Richie pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "That's funny, your mom told me the same thing last night."

"Jesus, do you have an off button?"

"Oh, I do. But I think you'd be more interested in my _on_ button," Richie waggled his eyebrows.

"Oh my god," Eddie groaned.

Richie held the door open for the both of them. Eddie hadn't realized how quickly the dark had descended upon the sky. The summer breeze blew warm air in to Eddie's face, and disturbed the emerald adorned trees. He switched his flashlight on, glad he could finally see. Richie fumbled with the door as it unhinged and refused to close.

After wrestling with the lock for a minute, Richie came out victorious. "Alright! Let's venture forward, Eds my boy!"

"I already told you, that's not my name."

"Whatever you say, Eddie Spaghetti," And somehow, it became worse.

The duo trekked across damp vegetation, avoiding the silence by making small talk and idle chatter. Eddie found out that Richie had a sister, younger by a few years. He lived peacefully with both of his parents, Maggie and Wentworth Tozier in Derry's middle-class suburb.

Richie told him about the time he and his friends, two boys named Bill and Stan, were biking down Mayflower lane and encountered a coyote. Bill had tried to shoo the animal away with a stick, but that only made it angry. The coyote had chased them around town until Mrs. Dunsberry called Animal Control. He told many more stories about the three of them, and the more Eddie heard, the more he wanted to meet Bill and Stan.

"-and, BOOM! Three minutes later, I'm bleeding from the fucking forehead, and Stan's just there- _laughing_ his ass off," Richie laughed, stepping over a mossy stone. "We didn't even go to the hospital, I just slapped a Snoopy band-aid on it and called it a day."

"Hey, not to interrupt, but there's something on my mind I wanted to ask you about," Eddie said, kicking a pebble over, "Why?"

"What's that supposed to mean, 'why'?"

"I mean, like, why are you helping me? You literally picked me out of the forest, dirty and bloodied," Eddie pointed out. "I was a _stranger_."

Richie stopped, pausing to think.

"You were injured. What was I supposed to do? Leave you stranded and alone?" He shrugged.

It was plain and simple. No strings attached, no ulterior motive. Just somebody being kind. There weren't a lot of people Eddie knew in Derry that would do the same.

"And besides, we're not strangers anymore, are we Eds?" Richie smirked at him. 

They travelled the rest of the way in good spirits. Eddie found the woods to be less intimidating when there was someone else beside him, cracking a joke and filling the silence.

The density of the forest began to diminish, revealing the bright red structure of the kissing bridge. They reached the edge of the clearing soon after.

"Welp, this is it," Richie pointed to the road encased by the bridge, strolling forward. Eddie was relieved to see the houses and streets on the other side. "Can you get to your house from here?"

"Yeah- yeah, I'm sure I can figure it out," said Eddie. The road beyond stretched further and further the longer he stared. He rode his bike here countless times, but something about tonight made it seem... sinister.

"Oh, Eds, before you go," Richie presented a black, rectangular box from his pocket. It was a walkie talkie, clearly worn from use. "Here. So we can keep in touch."

Eddie was almost reluctant to take it. After all, Richie was still unknown territory for him. An evening wasn't long enough to properly gauge someone's character.

He accepted it anyway, after a short contemplative moment. Maybe Eddie did want to get to know Richie a little better. It was a nice model, hardly the most expensive, but a nice one nonetheless.

"Don't lose it, okay? It took me an arm and a leg to convince my mom to buy it for me. I'm giving this to you with good faith," Richie passed it over to him, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder and a friendly smile. "Get better, man. Then we can hang out again soon."

The two boys said their goodbyes, and Eddie ran in the direction of his house. He pretended not to see the shadows in his periphery. He ignored the whistling wind in his ears and the _emptiness_ surrounding him the entire way home.

All he sensed was the weight of the walkie talkie in his hand and the offer of friendship that came along with it.

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to leave any constructive criticism in the comments. This is my first fic, and some insight would be nice, as long as it's respectful.
> 
> Like I mentioned in the tags, this is mostly unbeta-ed and done purely for fun. I'm still not sure where I'm going with this, but I hope it'll be someplace good. K, bye.


End file.
